RISING numbers of poorer teenagers are planning to go to university, but they are still half as likely to apply as their richer peers, new figures suggests.
There is also an increased demand for higher education this year among youngsters from all ethnic backgrounds.
The statistics, published by university admissions service Ucas, show the proportions of 18-year-olds in England applying to start degree courses this year, based on their social and ethnic background.
Pupils on free school meals (FSM) - a key measure of poverty - were 8% more likely to submit an application in 2014, compared with last year.
In total, just under a fifth (18%) of these poorer teenagers applied this year, a new record, according to the Ucas statistics.
But this also means they are still much less likely to be planning to go to university than their better-off peers.
The data shows that application rates for other pupils increased to 37% this year - the highest level ever recorded.
"Around one in eight English pupils receive free school meals and their application rate at age 18 to higher education is around half that of other pupils," a Ucas analysis note says.
The figures also show that women are more likely to apply to university than men, regardless of whether they received free dinners or not, but the difference between the genders is bigger for the FSM group.
This year, 21% of young women on FSM applied to university, compared with 14% of young men receiving the meals.
Among those who did not get free dinners, the application rate for girls was 42% and for boys it was 32%.
Separate Ucas data reveals that the application rates for all ethnic groups rose in 2014, but there are wide variations between pupils of different backgrounds.
Students from a Chinese background are most likely to want to study for a degree, with around 61% submitting an application this year.
At the other end of the scale, white teenagers are the least likely to be planning to go university, with less than a third (31%) applying this year.
"Application rates for all groups are higher in 2014 than in 2006 with the largest increase being for the Black ethnic group (from 23.6% to 39%)," a second Ucas note says.
© Press Association 2014
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